The present invention relates to a safety gate and, in particular, to a safety gate for use at the loading bay entrance of a mezzanine floor.
Generally, a mezzanine floor loading bay means any floor, having a loading bay which loading bay is accessible from a lower floor by a suitable load evaluating equipment such as a fork lift truck. Such loading bays are common to gain access to mezzanine floors which are frequently used for additional storage. Generally, to prevent operators on the mezzanine floor from falling onto the floor below, a safety gate is provided along the edge of the loading bay. Unfortunately, during repeat loading exercise the safety gate is inevitably left permanently open, increasing the risk to operators working on the mezzanine floor and in and around the loading bay area. Furthermore, the use of the gate is inconvenient for the operator of the fork lift truck who must wait until the gate is opened, either by an operator or by suitable electronic equipment before delivering the load to the loading bay. Furthermore, in the former case, the operator opening the gate is also at further risk as it is necessary for the operator to approach the vicinity of the drop whilst opening the gate.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a safety gate for a mezzanine loading bay operable to have an open and a closed position, wherein the safety gate is upright and includes barrier means providing an upright barrier and which prevents access to the mezzanine loading bay edge when the gate is in the open position and wherein the ends of the barrier means are spaced apart to provide, in use, a barrier area opening into the loading bay area.
Preferably, the barrier remains upright during movement from the open to the closed position.
Preferably, the barrier remains upright during movement from the closed to the open position.
Advantageously, unlike prior art devices the upright barrier does not include any overhead restriction or barrier so that no limit on the vertical height of the load that may be received in the loading bay area is imposed by the safety gate.
Preferably, the barrier means also prevents access to the mezzanine floor edge when the gate is in the closed position.
Preferably, the barrier means are shaped to partially enclose the loading bay.
Preferably, the barrier means take a substantially arcuate form.
Preferably, the upright safety gate includes rotating means to rotate the barrier means and the barrier area opening between the loading and unloading positions.
In accordance with the above invention, the barrier area opening is generally positioned at the mezzanine opening for off-mezzanine load delivery into the area defined by the barrier means. Thereafter, the barrier is rotated so that the opening is positioned for access for on-mezzanine level unloading and, simultaneously, the upright barrier means is rotated across the mezzanine opening to prevent access thereto by personnel. Once on-mezzanine level unloading is complete, the barrier means may be rotated back ready to receive an off-mezzanine load.
The term mezzanine should be understood in a broad sense to define a split level where loads may be received from a lower level, or possibly, an upper level and, accordingly, the invention may be utilised in any loading area where operator access to the edge of the loading area is to be restricted to prevent personnel falling.
Commonly, however, the invention will have utility where fork lift trucks are used to deliver loads, via a loading bay, to higher level storage areas and where there is a risk of personnel falling off the edge of the loading bay onto the lower level. For instance, the invention is particularly suited to use at the edge of the loading platform of a steel scaffold structure, such as would be used during construction or refurbishment of a building and where it is necessary to lift pallets of material to various levels, as the construction progresses, using a telescopic jib fork truck or similar device.
Preferably, the rotating means comprises a suitable mechanism to rotate the upright gate between the closed and open position. Preferably, when the barrier means is in arcuate form, the safety gate rotates about a central vertical axis of symmetry. Preferably, to maximise the available loading bay area, the said suitable mechanism does not impinge upon the loading bay.
Accordingly, in one embodiment of the invention, the mechanism is located off to one side of the loading bay, wherein the upright barrier means rotates through an arrangement of fixed bearings which define the path through which the barrier travels. Preferably, the barrier means is mounted on a pair of wheels, preferably, castor wheels, to assist the rotary movement. Preferably, the arrangement of bearings is housed in a framework which may also provide an additional barrier perpendicular to the loading bay edge. A complimentary barrier may also be present on the opposite side of the loading bay so that operator access is restricted to the side facing the loading bay edge but spaced therefrom by the safety gate. In this manner, the operator may only gain access to the loading bay area after the gate has been rotated into the closed position so that the opening between the ends of the barrier means is accessible to the operator on the mezzanine level.